


glad to see your face today

by InkCaviness



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Introspection, Kyoutani's Birthday, M/M, getting together but hinted at, idk this has no plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-13 21:58:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16900575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkCaviness/pseuds/InkCaviness
Summary: Kyoutani never really cared much for his birthday.





	glad to see your face today

**Author's Note:**

> it's technically seen already the 8th where i am and this really isn't as good as detailed as i wanted it to be but my laptop is about to run out of battery so! here it is, Happy Birthday to my favorite son

Kyoutani never really cared much for his birthday.

Sure, getting presents was fun and maybe there was cake but really the whole event was never pleasant. He hates elementary school when his mother invites everyone in his class and they crowd his house for hours and make him feel like a stranger in his own home. He hates the way his parents concern becomes palpable in middle school when he still doesn’t have any friends to invite home. His first year of high school goes by the same way. He goes to volleyball practice, he does okay in class. It’s not like he’s lonely. Maybe he eats lunch alone but really, he likes it that way. Maybe he stands aside from the team during breaks and watches them joke around with each other, friendly quips and swatting each others arms for whatever it was that they could laugh about so loudly. It’s fine that way, he doesn’t really want to join in, the thought alone makes his palms clammy and a heavy weight settle on his chest that threatens to suffocate him if he couldn’t just stop, just snap out of it, just fucking ignore all of this and then-

He stops going to practice.

It’s better that way. He doesn’t need them. He doesn’t care about being on a team, about playing official matches, about winning. All he wants is to play. To feel his head clear up with every spike, to be able to block everything out except for the ball against his palm, the view on the other side of the net. He doesn’t need a team for that, not the kind of team that Oikawa was trying to build up. He doesn’t need any of them.

And then he’s proven wrong.

He doesn’t really know how it happens. How being convinced to just go back to practice, just try again for a bit, suddenly turns into rescuing a puppy with Yahaba. Turns into playing in official matches, turns into Yahaba shoving him into a wall and he’s yelling and. Finally something seems to click in his mind. He doesn’t need them, he can survive on his own, but maybe he wants this. Maybe he wants to be needed, wants to be part of a team where everyone is needed. For the first time playing doesn’t just make his thoughts shut up, it makes them soar in the best way possible.

It turns into losing Nationals.

It’s bitter. He knows it not really over for himself yet, knows he still has next year. But for the first time he doesn’t feel numb about the outcome of a match. For the first time he sees Iwaizumi sobbing and thinks how unfair it is that they worked so hard and it all ends here. But they move on. The third years graduate. They all decide to continue playing and Kyoutani tries not to let on how relieved he is that they, too, will get another chance to win their big match. But maybe he’s not as good at hiding as he always thought.

His second year of high school comes to an end and before he knows it Yahaba is captain and keeps scolding him about playing nice in front of the new first years as if they were his own children.  He growls and grumbles and pretends not to care _too_ much because, hey, he still has somewhat of a reputation to maintain, but they have potential. One of their new setters is scarily accurate and the rest are just as good as you’d expect from Seijoh. He tries not to be too hopeful but he can’t deny that they might just get their shot at Nationals again.

The school year is so busy, a flurry of college prep classes and late volleyball practice, that he almost forgets about his own birthday. It’s there at the back of his mind but his parents are on a business trip so for once there’s no one to pity him for his lack of a birthday party. He goes to class and practice as usual and shoves his own disappointment to the back of his mind.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me it’s your birthday?”

The question catches him off guard with his sweater halfway over his head and he quickly pulls it all the way on to be able to look at Yahaba. They’re the last two left in the changing room but the other boy isn’t looking at him. Instead he’s staring down at his phone with furrowed brows.

“Huh?”, asks eloquently and blinks slowly.

Yahaba lifts his head and stares straight at him. “Why didn’t you tell me that today’s your birthday?”

Kyoutani doesn’t reply straight away, instead he starts shoving his clothes into his backpack. “It never really came up,” he finally mutters. Then, another thought makes him stop and think for a second. “How the hell do you even know?”

When there’s no answer he looks up again. Yahaba is looking at his phone again and it almost looks like there’s a blush dusting his cheeks. “Oikawa told me.”

Kyoutani immediately scrunches up his nose. “Oikawa?!”

It’s not as if he’s really surprised, after all their former captain was known for collecting any and all information about his team members that he could. It’s still irritating. “Why the hell would he tell you that?”

Yahaba snorts in a way that really doesn’t suit his pretty face. “You know him. Team morale and all that.”

“I guess. It’s whatever, I don’t really care anyways.” He’s done changing by now so he just sits on the bench and waits. “I never really celebrated my birthday.”

Yahaba is still turned away but he can see him methodically start to pack up his own bag and for a second Kyoutani wonders how it back normal to be the last ones still here, to wait for each other to finish up and only separate at the school gate.

“Well,” Yahaba starts and startles Kyoutani out of his thoughts, “I get it if you don’t wanna but that new restaurant down the street just opened up so we could. Go grab a bite to eat there.”

He turns around, crosses his arms over his chest and squares his shoulders. It’s a gesture Kyoutani is used to by now, this weird mix of unease and the need to show strength and- Yahaba’s face is definitely looking flushed now.

“We don’t have to but it might be nice, just a bit of a birthday dinner. Or normal dinner, whatever, if the birthday part bothers you so much.

Kyoutani still doesn’t get what’s going on. They never grab dinner. They barely meet up outside of school, except for studying occasionally or when they get so worked up in practice that they have to settle it with a clear win sometime later but-

“Sure,” he says.

 

-

 

Kyoutani never really cared much for his birthday.

His lying on the bed, looking up at the way the neon signs from outside paint red and blue patters onto the ceiling. Out of the corner of his eye he can see the gentle glow of the alarm clock, the time creeping closer to midnight. His eyelids feel heavy and he wants to go to sleep, after all he has his dreaded 8am anatomy class in the morning. Finally he hears the water in the bathroom next door shut off. A minute later Yahaba lifts the covers and quickly slips into bed by his side.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Kyoutani grumbles and turns onto his side towards the brunet, “why d’you always have to touch me with your fucking freezing feet.”

Yahaba snorts a laugh and presses even closer, snaking his arms around Kyoutani’s waist and pulling him in until their face are almost touching. “You’re like a literal human space heater; you can’t expect me not to use that.”

It’s just dark enough that they can’t really see each other anymore but Kyoutani has mapped out every inch of Yahaba’s face by now anyways. Instead of retaliating he buries his face in the crook of Yahaba’s neck and breathes in slowly. Yahaba starts rubbing circles into his back and Kyoutani relaxes further against him.

“Hey,” Yahaba whispers softly and Kyoutani pulls back just enough to look in the general direction of his face. “Happy Birthday,” he says and presses a kiss to Kyoutani’s lips.

He still doesn’t care for birthday parties but this is the best present he could ask for.

**Author's Note:**

> come yell at me on [tumblr](http://inkcaviness.tumblr.com) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/InkCaviness)


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